Serum Vitamin B12 Levels Related to Weight Status Among Healthy Jordanian Students

Abstract

To estimate the status of serum vitamin B12 in selected samples from 84 healthy volunteers from Jordan between the ages of 19 and 25 years. A cross-sectional dietary survey was carried out in a random sample. The serum vitamin B12 levels for all subject individuals were measured using the commercially available kits. We found low (ie, <200 pg/mL) serum levels of vitamin B12 in 27 of the 84 subjects. The mean vitamin B12 intake was higher among overweight (OW) men compared with individuals from other categories of body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared). The mean level of serum vitamin B12 in men and women was higher in obese (OB) and OW individuals compared with their healthy-weight (HW) counterparts. The prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency among men and women aged 19 to 25 years is high, with concentration of B12 appears to increase as BMI increases.